Tie-plate and brace.



B. McN. HOWELL.

TIE PLATE AND BRAGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1914.

1,124,741. Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

a wueufoz 3772 7703 Howell.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOT0-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D. c

BENJAMIN MGNAIL HOWELL, F FALLS CITY, OREGON.

TIE-PLATE AND BRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 12, 1915.

Application filed August 12, 1914. Serial No. 856,404.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN MONAIL HOWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Falls City, in the county of Polk and gtate of Oregon, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Tie-Plates and Braces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rail braces, and as 1138 prlncipal object aims to construct a devlce of this character which performs a two-fold function, in that it not only provides a pair of wear plates for the rail bases but also constitutes a brace which will hold the rails against spreading.

An additional object is to provide a mod1- lied form of brace in which the terminals are enlarged to provide rail basereceiving wear plates which are equipped with parallel webs or ribs adapted to engage against the opposite edges of the rail base for holding the same in position.

An object of equal importance with the above is to construct the brace as a twopiece element, so that it may be applied to the tie and rail with a minimum expenditure of time and labor.

A further object is to provide the abutting terminals of the two sections of the brace with interlocking joint strips which serve to hold the meeting ends against both longtudinal and lateral movement with respect to each other.

The above recited and other incidental objects of a similar nature, which will be hereinafter more specifically treated, are accomplished by such means as are illustrated n the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the clalms, whlch are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there has been illustrated the preferred form of this invention as it is reduced to practice.

and throughout the several views of which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a top plan view showing several of the rail braces 1n operative assembled relation to a pair of rails and cross ties; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the brace with the two parts thereof 1n d1sas- .sembled relation; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of brace.

The preferred form of brace, which is llustrated in detail in Fig. 2 of the drawings, consists in two parts A and B. Each of the members A and B includes a body portion 10, one terminal of which is enlarged to provide a substantially rectangular wear plate 11 and the other terminal of which is bifurcated, producing the separate joint strips 12 and 13. The joint strip 12 of each of the members A and B is longer than the strip 13, the purpose of such formatlon being to provide between the members A and B a joint which is relatively simple but, at the same time, particularly efiicient and strong. The shorter strips 13 are each bent at their inner ends, as indicated at 14, so that they will extend in parallel spaced relation to the plane of the body member 10 and strip 12. The bending of the strips 13 produces vertical stop shoulders 15 which form abutments for the terminals of the strips 12 when the mating terminals of the members A and B are connected. r

The manner in which the two members A and B are applied to the rails and tie will be obvious, particularly upon reference to Fig. 1, in which it will be seen that the strips 12 and 13 of the two members A and B are mated and disposed on the upper face of the tie at the approximate center thereof. In joining the terminals of the members A and B, the longer strips 12 are placed upon the tie and are arranged with their inner edges in engagement. Thus the shorter joint strip 13 of the member A bears against the upper face of the longer strip 12 of the member B, while the shorter strip 13 of the member B bears against the upper edge of the longer strip 12 of the member A.

It is now to be noted that apertures are formed in each joint strip, and that the apertures 16 of the short strip of the member A are adapted to register with the apertures of the strip 12 of the member B, while the apertures of the member 13 of the member B are adapted to register with the apertures of the member 12 of the element A when the two parts of the brace are connected. By inserting spikes 17 and 18 through the registering apertures of the joint strips, it is obvious that the two members A and B'of the brace may be firmly held in fixed position on the tie. After the two elements A' and B of the brace have been properly applied to the tie, the rail bases may then be placed on the wear plates 11 and secured in fixed position thereon by spikes 18.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that the brace constitutes not only an anti-spreading element for the rails, but also provides wear plates upon which the rail bases may be mounted.

The modified form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 3 differs from the preferred form only in that the terminal wear plates are provided with integrally formed parallel webs or ribs 19. It will be readily observed thatthese ribs are spaced so as to engage against opposite edges of the rail bases for the purpose of preventing the shifting ofthe rails on the wear plates. It isto be noted that the two ribs or webs 19 of each wear plate are of a length less than the width of the wear plate, and that their opposite terminals are spaced from the opposite edges of the wear plate. The purpose in thus forming the webs is to permit spikes to be inserted through the apertures 20 at opposite sides of the center line of the wear plate and on opposite sides of the rail bases.

' Inreductionto practice, it has been found vthat the form of this invention illustrated inithe drawings, and referred to in the above descriptionas the preferred embodiment, is the most efiicient and practical; yet realizing that the' conditions concurrent withthe adoption ofthis device will necessarily vary, it is desirablelto emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A rail brace of the character described including two sections, and interfitting joint strips formed on the inner terminals of each section, the corresponding strips of each .scction being transversely alined.

' i;2."'A rail brace of the character described including two similar sections, each of which includes: a body portion, a relatively large Wear plate formed in the outer terminal thereof and. adapted to receive a rail base, each of 'saidwear plates being provided with apertures through which spikes may be inserted for holding the rail base against displacement, and a pair of joint strips formed onflthe inner terminal of each section, the one joint strip of each section being rela- ,tively short and bent at its inner terminal whereby it extends throughout the major portion-of its length in parallel spaced rela- "tionito the plane of the'bodymmmber and the other strip said second-mentioned strip :beifigflof greate'rilength than the first-men- ,rieneaes r 3. A rail brace of the character described including two similar sections, each of which includes a body portion, a relatively large wear plate formed in the outer terminal thereof and adapted to receive a rail base, each of said wear plates being provided with apertures through which spikes may be inserted for holding the rail base against displacement, and a pair of joint strips formed first-mentioned strips being disposed to bear upon the upper faces of the second-mentioned strips.

4:. A rail brace of the character described including two similar sections, each of which includes a body portion, a relatively large wear plate formed in the outer terminal thereof and adapted to receive a rail base, each of said wear plates being provided with apertures through which spikes may be inserted for holding the rail base against displacement, and a pair of joint strips formed on the inner terminal of each section, the one joint strip of each section being relatively short and bent at its inner terminal whereby it extends throughout the major portion of its length in parallel spaced relation to the plane of the body member and the other strip, said second-mentioned strip being of greater length than the first-mentioned strip, the second-mentioned strips of the sections being disposed upon the upper face of a sleeper and in mating relation to each other whenvthe brace is applied, the first-mentioned strips being disposed to bear upon the upper faces of the second-mentioned strips, each joint strip of each section being provided with an aperture, the apertures of the first-mentioned joint strips being adapted to register with the apertures of the second-mentioned joint strips, and a pair of spikes inserted through the said apertures for securing the sections against movement on a sleeper.

5. A rail brace of the character described including two sections, a wear plate formed on the outer terminal of each section, and interfitting joint strips formed on the inner terminal of each section, the corresponding strips of the sections being transversely alined and being flatly engaged against opposing strips.

6. A rail brace of the character described including two sections, each terminally'provided with a rail base receiving wear plate and each having its inner terminal bifurcated to produce a pair of joint strips, the joint strips of the two sections being adapted to interfit.

7. A rail brace of the character described including a pair of sections having wear plates formed on their outer terminals and having their inner terminals bifurcated, producing pairs of joint strips, one joint strip of each section being disposed in the plane of the section and the other joint strip of each section being offset with respect to the plane of the section, whereby the offset strips of the two sections may be transversely alined and are adapted to engage over the upper faces of the first mentioned joint strips of the sections.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN MGNAIL HOWELL. Witnesses:

F. K. HUBBARD, J. H. ROBERTS.

Copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by drunk: the common: of Intent; Washington, D. 0. 

